Mistaken Tomorrow
by Rhi Marzano
Summary: An exploration of Jordan's life and bad decisions by those trying to protect her


**It was a cold morning.** It wasn't just cold enough for one to see one's breath or for the briskness of the air to sting the nose, but also one could actually feel one's snot freezing.

"I hate winter," Jordan declared to no one in particular, kicking the snow vehemently as if to prove her point.

She trudged through the mounds of solid precipitation, clamping her boots along the way. "It just isn't fair," she whined. "They get me up out of bed, make me get dressed, and for what? Send me out to catch pneumonia?"

"Jordan," Rachel called impatiently from within the toasty confines of the house. "It doesn't take _that_ long to get the mail."

Jordan glared in the general direction of the house and purposefully slowed her gait.

Cicles dangled off the edge of the malibox. She attempted to jerk it open. "Schzang," she said, wrinkling her nose. "It's iced shut."

After failing twice more, she mustered up enough strength for a large, powerful yank. 

Which, that pesky law of gravity being as it is, cause all of the letters to explode out of the box and fall onto the snow in opposite directions.

"It's not FAIR!" she wailed.

The closest letter to her had her name addressed on it. Curious, she forgot her whining and slid her thumbnail through the top.

**Dear Jordan:  
We've noticed that you do really well in school. We were wondering if you would help tutor some kids who don't quite get it. You can also participate in other fun activities like campouts and shopping trips. It's a blast! We'd love you to join the Sharing.  
**

"The Sharing?" she said aloud, interested. "Well. Why not?"

/_\

**Jordan swung her legs back and forth as she waited outside Chapman's office. **The chair was comfortable, if a little too tall. She could hardly complain after being in stiff desks all day. Slowly her eyes drifted to a cluster of papers peeping out of her open backpack and became fixed on the winedark measures on each.

"100%!! =)" read her math homework.

"¡Cien!" habló su examen de español.

"Wonderful! Just like Rachel would have done!" exclaimed the English paper.

Jordan's stomach turned queasy at this note. _I'm not Rachel, _she thought sullenly. _Why do they insist on comparing us? I work my butt off for these grades, surpassing anything Rachel ever did, and yet they still hold her up on a pedestal. _

Slowly she lifted the pile out of her bag, shuffling through them and hating the fact that she would always be the shadow of her sister.

_I will not cry,_ she said silently.

"Whatcha in for, Jordan?"

Surprised, she lifted her head and several papers fluttered to the floor. Even through the locks of dark hair streaking her vision, she knew who it was. 

"H..h...hi, Marco," she stammered.

"What brings you to the sinkhole which we lovingly adorn the office of Chapman?" he asked again.

When she didn't reply, he leaned down to pick up the papers. "Wow, Jordan," he observed as he leafed through them. "These are pretty good grades. Holy cow, you're already in my math class." 

"Yeah," she blushed. _I can't believe he's actually talking to me._

Marco froze as he saw the letter from the Sharing. Not Rachel's little sister. Not another family member infested. Oh, god, no. He wanted to cry out and scream and weep, "God, why _her_? Why Jordan? Must we be punished _further_?!"

Instead, he wrinkled his nose and said, "You're in the Sharing?"

"I'm here to tell Mr. Chapman my decision about joining the sharing," she responded carefully.

Relief washed over him. _It's not too late._

"Aha," he said knowingly. "So, how are you going to tell him that the Sharing is lame and he's a loser? You can go for the 'I just don't have time' approach. Or the 'I'm just not interested' way. And let's not forget, 'Well, Mr. Chapman, the Sharing is lame and you're a loser.'"

Jordan giggled at that. _Marco doesn't seem to have a high opinion of the Sharing. Maybe it really is lame. I don't know..._

The door to Chapman's office opened and the previous tortured soul scampered out. "Hello, Jordan," Mr. Chapman greeted. "Have you come to a conclusion on your membership to the Sharing?"

"Yes, Mr. Chapman, I have," she said firmly. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer."

The man stiffened. "Ah, I see. Any reason?"

"A personal one, sir," she said lightly. She snatched her papers from Marco, stuffed them in her bag, and left.

"Ah, Marco. What is it that you've done _this_ time..." wafted his voice down the hall.

/_\

** Rachel swept into the kitchen after returning from school, dumping her bag on the table and eyeing a Pepsi in the fridge.**

"Where is everyone?" she called out. A moment of silence made her simply shrug and take a swig out of the bottle.

Almost instantaneously, Jordan's shriek and the phone rang in unison.

"Quit that! I don't want your microbes!" she wailed, dashing into the room.

"Are microbes the new term for cooties?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow. She shushed her and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Rachel, this is Marco," he said urgently. "Can you meet us at the mall?"

"Sale at The Limited?"

"75% off."

Internally she cursed. A bigger problem was usually signified by a larger percentage. Externally she plastered on a grin. "I'll be there ASAP. Are you going to buy us dinner?"

"What am I, Regis Philbin's sidekick?" he grumbled.

"Yes or no?"

"I guess."

"Great. Bye!"

Rachel carefully placed the reciever back in the cradle. As she turned around, Jordan suspiciously stared at her, nibbling a carrot as she did so.

"Who was it?" she asked finally.

"One of Jake's friends," Rachel shrugged. "I'm going to the mall and I'll be back before eight or so."

"Oh," Jordan commented.

/_\

**With great interest, Ax inserted a striped straw into a cardboard-plastic-resembling vessel obtained from the establishment of McDonald's in the "Food Field."** Ah, no, he corrected himself, it was the "Food Court." Sometimes humans had the oddest expressions. Strange customs, however, were easily accepted by the offering of excellent food.

He slurped the Coke, allowing the carbon dioxide to sizzle on his tongue and the caramel coloring to swish around deliciously even if it would lead to tooth decay. Then he reversed the force and began to blow bubbles. The simple act had him giggling like a primitive lifeform.

"Ax," Prince Jake sighed, "would you please exit la-la land?"

Ax frowned. "Where is this 'la-la land' of which you speak?"

"Between Canada and Russia," Marco said tartly.

"I'm here," Rachel proclaimed, and slid into the seat next to Ax. Ax protectively held his Coke to his chest, as Rachel was notorious for obtaining soft drinks by less than ethical means.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Marco should probably tell," Cassie told her.

Rachel redirected her gaze. "Well?"

"I ran into Jordan today," he reported with a distant look in his eyes. "She was just about to join the Sharing."

Rachel's eyes widened. "She didn't..."

"Nope. I conned her into appealing her decision."

"A predicament," Ax remarked.

"Yeah," Cassie said. "What are we going to do?"

"I think we should keep an eye on her," Jake decided.

"If I did it, she would get super-suspicious," Rachel objected.

"And if any of us did it, she'd be even more suspcious," Cassie added.

"Except for Marco," Jake said shrewdly.

Sharply Marco turned to Jake. "You're kidding, right?"

"It _is_ a good idea," Cassie said helpfully.

"It's _not_ a good idea," he said sullenly. "It's insane. I'm not doing it."

/_\

**"Hello?" Jordan said hesitantly into the phone.**

"Hey, Jordan, this is Marco."

"I'll get Rachel," she said, her heart skipping a beat.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

Her heart almost stopped.

"R...r...really?"

"Yeah. See, I need a little help with some of my math. I'm not doing so swell. And, since you seem to be pretty hot snot at geometry, I thought you could tutor me for a few days. I'll pay you if you like."

"No, that's okay," she said hastily. "I'd love to."

"Great. I'll catch you tomorrow after school or something, okay?"

"Okay."

They exchanged farewells and Jordan hung up. Dazed, she walked to the fridge and pulled out a Pepsi. She lifted it up to take a sip, and scowled when nothing came out. "Rachel!" she shouted. "Stop drinking my soda!"

/_\

**Clustered around a table in the library, Marco cracked open his book and Jordan tore out a sheet of notebook paper. **"Okay, here's the deal," he began. "I need to get a 98 on the exam if I want an A for a semester grade. Being as I am not understanding this unit at all, without aid this is highly unlikely. I need you to whip me into shape, woman."

Jordan giggled. "So, what exactly confuses you?"

"Hmm.. let's see... everything."

"Let's start with the triangle side ratios," she suggested.

"Sounds good."

"Tangent is opposite over adjacent."

"Opposite over adjacent. Gotcha."

"Sine is opposite over hypotenuse."

"Opposite over hypotenuse. Got it."

"Cosine is adjacent over hypotenuse."

"Adjacent, hypotenuse. Okay."

"Now, what's tangent?"

Marco stared at her blankly.

Jordan moaned. "We have a lot of work to do."

-_-

"Okay, so if I want to find the altitude of the triangle, and this angle here is twenty two degrees, I multiply the hypotenuse length with the sine of 22?" Marco said finally.

"Exactly," Jordan confirmed. "Now, if the hypotenuse is divided into two parts, how can the geometric mean help you?

"The geometric.. what?"

-_-

"Hold up, hold up. How can it only touch the circle at one point?" Marco interrupted. "Is it like some line who has one brush-up with the circle and then doesn't want to see it again? Like, 'I'm sorry, baby, I just don't think we're right for each other. I have a date with that saucy hyperbola.'"

"It's a tangent line," Jordan said patiently. "It's the only kind of line that does that."

"It's just unnatural."

"Math doesn't have to be logical," Jordan grinned. "It just _is_."

-_-

Jordan diligently corrected Marco's work. In one day, she had taught him more than his teacher in the entire semester, he realized. She looked so innocent as her dark hair tumbled down her forehead. Everything about her was earnest and refreshingly normal.

She was a cutie.

Not show-stopping like Rachel, bold or fearless or intimidating- but spunky and dark and occasional spurts of timidity.

A cutie.

And she had worked so hard tonight to help him out.

"Hey, sucre," he spoke up. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

Jordan tore her eyes away from the paper. "Huh?"

"Tomorrow night. You busy?"

"I don't think you need any more tutoring," she replied, furrowing her brow, holding up the unmarked sheet.

"No, not for practice. Like, for fun."

"Um... excuse me?"

"A movie," he suggested.

She blinked, and slowly a smile crept up from the corners of her mouth. "Okay."

/_\

**Alicia flopped on her bed and propped her chin up with her elbows. **"Spill," she commanded.

Jordan laughed and sat cross-legged on the plush carpet. "Well, I helped him with math last night and he invited me to the movies."

"This is Marco we're talking about? Marco the cutest guy under 5'8" n the school?"

"Yup."

"That is sooooo cool," Alicia remarked wistfully, then dramatically placed a hand on her chest. "Maybe one day I will be as lucky as you."

Jordan tossed a pillow at her friend. "Shut up- you know Bryan looks at your toush all the time during Spanish."

An eyebrow of Alicia's peaked in interest. "Really?"

"No, not really," Jordan grinned.

A groan escaped Alicia's lips as she hurled the pillow back at Jordan.

The pillow promptly exploded.

"Only when we're taking notes," Jordan added.

Giggles and feathers cascaded in the room.

/_\

**_I am going to be me tonight, _**Jordan thought. _Not Rachel's little sister. I'm not going to be shy. I'm going to joke if he jokes, eat popcorn and not worry that I'm not going to be as skinny as Rachel, and not be afraid to be myself._

She composed herself and applied force to the glass doors. They swung open with ease, and the vent below her feet welcomed her with a few clangs as she walked in.

"Hi," she said brightly as she caught sight of Marco.

"Did you get lost?" he asked glibly.

Jordan frowned and checked her watch. "I'm only-"

"Chill, chica, it was a joke. C'mon, I've got the tickets."

Jordan relaxed and smiled. "What theatre number?"

Marco glanced at the tickets. "Theatre Two. 'Sgo."

The two picked out a row near the back, placed the oversized popcorn and drink in the appropriated places, and sat down.

The movie they saw was of the suspense genre; however it is lately of such little not that it would be futile to mention it.

After the movie was what was important anyway.

/_\

**Marco couldn't remember the last time he felt this good.** Jordan and he threw snowballs at each other inthe parking lot. They giggled, laughed, played, chatted...

He felt dizzy and light and...

Happy.

The happiness drug flooded his veins and washed away any capability of thinking. The alarm bells, however, went off when he found his lips on hers. A thousand images went through his mind- her waiting on a date as he crashed the Yeerk pool, her wondering where he was when he was on some insane mission, her weeping when he didn't come back.

_I can't do this,_ he thought and quickly wrenched away.

"I'm sorry, Jordan. You're just a kid."

He regretted the words the instant they came out of his mouth.

Jordan looked as if he had slapped her.

It began to sleet.

She whriled away from him and started to run.

"Jordan, wait," Marco called, going after her.

The sleet began to slush around her body as she sprinted home.

"Jordan!"

"Leave me alone!" she cried, her voice so garbled by tears that it was barely understandable.

Helpless, Marco slowed to a stop and watched her whip down the street.

"God," he whispered. "I did the right thing... right?" 

/_\

Jordan sobbed into her pillow, disillusioned and heartbroken.

"Jordan?" Rachel said softly from the door.

She stifled her sniffles and sat up. Dizzy, she attempted to focus. "Yeah?"

Her sister entered and sat next to her on the bed. "Sometimes," Rachel told her seriously, "guys are just stupid.

A little laugh escaped the younger. "You think so?"

"I know so."

Jordan gave Rachel a hug and whispered some thanks.

When Rachel left the room, Jordan leaned over and picked up the phone. She dialed a number, cleared her throat, and said, "Mr. Chapman? I've changed my mind."

/_\

**I tried to help.**

I didn't want her to have another person in her life who couldn't be there for her because of the Yeerks.

I wanted her to be happy and innocent with a shining tomorrow.

My noble intentions backfired, and now she's more plagued by Yeerks than if I hadn't acted.

My miscalculation.

My fault.

My mistake.

It hurts to cheapen it like that. I destroyed her chance for a normal future.

Mistaken tomorrow.

God, will you forgive me?

  
...and will she?

  


* * *

[A/N] My very first Marco fic is, of course, dedicated to my good pal Lee (SkySorceress). Keep on writing. Three other people must be acknowledged- Apopilis, my best friend since forever, now 16... watch out you on the roads; the boy who says "Ernt" and the only reason I passed Biology, K-kun; and my Spanish mentor and fellow band nerd, Jessica. Happy belated birthdays to you all~ I wanted to finish this in time for them in early June, but I missed the deadline ;) 

If you enjoyed my disturbing story, please let me know! Reviews are greatly appreciated in that lovely box below, and my email is [rhi@tmbg.org][1]. >

   [1]: mailto:rhi@tmbg.org



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